and examining table weren’t typical items she’d found in a home. Then again, she hadn’t been inside many houses.
He gently lowered her to the floor in the middle of the room, and she waited on her knees as he separated two pieces of the U-shaped couch. For the first time, she saw the multitude of attached D rings. That was no ordinary couch. He kicked the metal feet at the bottom of one of the sections so it slanted at a forty-five-degree angle, and then he did the same to both sides of the other, dropping the cushion to fit flush with the wedge.
She stared at it, wondering how he planned to use it.
“Katerina, tell me your safe word.”
“Gunshot or red to stop. Yellow to slow down.”
“I expect you to use it if you need to. You don’t have anything to prove with me.”
She did. She had to prove to him, to herself, that she trusted him enough to turn over complete control. No escape. No hiding.
The idea of it made her feel as though her heart had grown ten times its size, causing a fiery throbbing from her neck to her pussy. She couldn’t deny part of it was fear, but it was so much more. It was passion and anticipation and excitement and desire.
To give her body was easy. To give a piece of her heart was more difficult. But tonight she was gifting him a part of her soul. He’d wormed his way into it the last time they’d made love, and now she’d hand him a piece to carry within his own.
Intertwined by destiny, loss, and life.
He laced his fingers in hers and pulled her to her feet then eased her back onto the soft couch. “For the first time, I don’t want to overwhelm you too much.” He picked up something from the floor and dangled it in front of her. “Just simple, padded Velcro cuffs. See? Feel them.”
He palmed the back of her head and claimed her lips, running his tongue along the seam and infusing her body with his heat. She invited him inside and greeted his tongue with her own, the tips lightly brushing against one another in introduction, almost as if they were strangers. She already wanted more, craving the erotic mating of thrusting tongues and urgent lips, but like always, Jax controlled the pace, and this time, he preferred it languid and smooth.
The world fell away. In this room, Alyssa and Stephanie, Nick and Hannah didn’t exist. Only they remained. Jax’s firm body against hers, taking possession.
And possess he did.
Who was this girl who was about to allow a man to bind her?
He unbuttoned her suit jacket and peeled it back off her shoulders, leaving her in her white blouse.
“You’re not going to order me to strip?”
“Not this time. This time I want the pleasure.”
He slowly raised her blouse over her head, exposing her pebbled nipples to the cool air and his sizzling stare. “You didn’t wear a bra? Naughty girl.”
“I don’t need one when I wear a suit.”
He brushed his knuckles across them, swiping back and forth, sending shivers down her abdomen. She waited for him to pinch, but he kept his touch agonizingly light.
His tongue darted out of his mouth and moistened his bottom lip, leaving it glistening. She rose on her tiptoes and nabbed his lip between her teeth and pulled it gently. A rumble erupted from his chest, and she smiled in satisfaction, releasing him. Let’s see if he can hold back now , she thought.
“Trying to top from the bottom, are you?”
“Me? Never.”
He unzipped her skirt, letting it drop to the floor. She stepped out of it, wearing nothing but soaked panties and black heels. He cupped her bottom in his hands and squeezed, his fingers delving between the crack.
Would he take her ass tonight?
Her breath caught in her chest at the thought. A moan escaped her lips, and Jax swallowed it with a kiss. His lips were warm and soft, and she melted into him like chocolate on her tongue. He backed her up until her thighs hit the couch and then hooked his thumbs into her panties, lowering them inch by agonizing inch.
Pressing his